The Elusive Vitamin B12

Dr. Lindsey Mcilvena, MD

In her day job, treating patients living with chronic disease, nutrition and lifestyle are not after-thoughts, they’re central to helping her patients get well. She’s also our go-to expert on plant-based diets.

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Do you mostly eat a plant-based diet? If so, you might have your mom, grandma, neighbor, and local police chief worried about where you’re getting your vitamin B12. Don’t worry — we’ve got you covered.

While B12 is easily obtained from animal products, it’s harder to come by in the plant-food world. Luckily, the body has a pretty big storage tank of B12—it takes multiple years of not getting enough (that’s 2.4mcg per day) for someone to develop the deficiency. Here’s a quick list of the recommended daily allowances for vitamin B12, followed by a list of where to find it when on a plant-based diet.

BUT, if you’re mostly plant based it’s important to know where you can find B12. There are a couple of vegetarian sources, but there’s also a catch:

Nutritional Yeast
That deliciously nutty, flaky, dare I say cheesy yeast that looks slightly reminiscent of what I fed my pet goldfish in 1st grade—that’s the one. Most brands have been fortified with B12, and in some cases, as little as 1 tablespoon can provide the daily recommended value. Try adding it to sauces, pasta, rice dishes, or enjoy it on popcorn.

Fermented Foods
Sauerkraut, kombucha (fermented tea), and miso contain varying amounts of B12. It comes from the good bacteria present in the fermented product. Because of the high variation in amount, it’s best not to use these as your only source of B12.

Sea Vegetables and Algae
Same as the fermented foods here, the amounts vary.

Mushrooms
Or at least some mushroom varieties when tested in the lab have been shown to contain B12.

Fortified Foods
Soy milk, breads, cereals, and other products have had B12 added back in, to ensure its presence.

So what’s the catch, you ask? The plant based sources of B12, particularly the fermented foods, sea vegetables, and mushrooms may contain an inactive form of B12 that doesn’t actually help the body. At SuperFoodRx we’re passionate about getting vitamins and minerals through whole foods. B12 may be one case where it’s better to take a supplement than to rely on solely plant based sources.